Octopus, Galician Style

Directions

1. 1
   Thaw octopus if necessary, either for 24 hours in refrigerator, or for a few hours in a couple of changes of cold water.
2. 2
   With a scissors, remove skinny tips of tentacles and, cutting through webbing that connects them, separate the 8 tentacles and discard head.
3. 3
   (Alternatively, you can cook the octopus whole and cut it up after cooking.)
4. 4
   Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well.
5. 5
   Put octopus in water and, when it returns to boil, cover and adjust heat so water simmers gently.
6. 6
   Cook an hour or so, until octopus is tender.
7. 7
   Meanwhile peel potatoes and cut into 2-inch slices.
8. 8
   Lower them into water and cook until tender, about a half hour.
9. 9
   Remove if they're done before octopus, and keep warm.
10. 10
    When octopus is tender, remove it and drain.
11. 11
    Put potatoes on a platter and cut octopus into pieces (again, a scissors is easiest); top potatoes with it.
12. 12
    Drizzle all liberally with pimenton, olive oil and coarse salt, and serve hot or warm.